
On the island of Shikoku, strange occurances are often attributed to the wiles of the raccoon dog,
and this nocturnal phenomenon from Kagawa prefecture is no exception. Like the
sune-kosuri,
the
ashi-magari is felt coiling around the legs of people walking at night, eventually
becoming a hindrance and making it difficult or impossible to move. Those who bend down to touch
it feel something soft like raw cotton, and if they squeeze it tightly, the
ashi-magari is said
to feel something like the tail of an animal.
1
1. Mizuki vol. 4 2004, p. 65.